View of Dartmoor Prison – Princetown Village Centre loop from Pitts Cleave

Bike touring routes & trails

View of Dartmoor Prison – Princetown Village Centre loop from Pitts Cleave

Hard

riders

View of Dartmoor Prison – Princetown Village Centre loop from Pitts Cleave

01:56

27.3km

540m

Cycling

Hard bike ride. Very good fitness required. Mostly paved surfaces. The starting point of the route is accessible with public transport.

Last updated: November 3, 2026

Tips

Your route passes through protected areas

Please check local regulations for:

Dartmoor National Park

Waypoints

Start point

Bus stop

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12.5 km

Public Toilets Princetown

Highlight • Rest Area

They do charge 20p to use!

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12.7 km

Burrator is a grouped parish council in the English county of Devon. It is entirely within the boundaries of the Dartmoor National Park and was formed in 1973 as a result of the Local Government Act 1972 from the older councils of Meavy, Sheepstor and Walkhampton. The parish has an area of 59.45 km2 (23 sq miles), and is one of the most sparsely populated. The population count in 2011 found that 1,445 people lived in the parish. The parish coincides with the similarly named electoral ward.

The parish contains the villages of Dousland, Meavy, Sheepstor and Walkhampton, and also Burrator Reservoir which is the main water supply for Plymouth. The parish is twinned with the municipality of Mathieu, in Normandy, France. Burrator Parish Council holds the ownership of the Royal Oak Inn at Meavy, which dates back to the 16th Century. The parish of Burrator is named after Burra Tor, a large granite tor that is exposed from the field to the woodland by the dam; located at Grid Reference 553679 at the southern end of the reservoir and about halfway between its two dams blocking the outlets to the River Meavy and the Sheepstor Brook.

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13.1 km

View of Dartmoor Prison

Highlight • Monument

This prison was built in 1806 by French prisoners of war. From 1812, during the Anglo-American War, Americans were imprisoned there. A century later, during the First World War, it became an open prison for conscientious objectors. From 1921, members of the IRA were imprisoned here, including Eamon de Valera, who would later become President of Ireland.

Translated by Google •

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13.3 km

Fox Tor Café

Highlight • Cafe

A fantastic cafe in the heart of Princetown. There's both inside seating and outdoor at the back in the gravelly courtyard, where you can also leave your bike. I'd highly rate the breakfasts as well as the hot pasties. A true cyclist's oasis on the moor!

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13.3 km

Princetown War Memorial and National Park Visitor Centre

Highlight • Monument

Princetown is a village located within Dartmoor National Park in Devon, England. It is the principal settlement of the civil parish of Dartmoor Forest. The village has its origins in 1785, when Sir Thomas Tyrwhitt, then secretary to the Prince of Wales, leased a large area of moorland from the Duchy of Cornwall estate, hoping to convert it into good farmland. He also proposed that a prison be built on Dartmoor to house the thousands of captives of the Napoleonic Wars and the later War of 1812. The site was given by the Prince of Wales, who held the lands of the Duchy of Cornwall to which the whole moor belonged. This is why the settlement is named Princetown. Princetown is the site of Dartmoor Prison, which was built in 1806 and is still in use today. Princetown is also home to the National Park Visitor Centre, which offers exhibitions and displays about Dartmoor’s history, wildlife and culture.

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13.4 km

Princetown Village Centre

Highlight • Settlement

High on the windswept moorland, Princetown is a rather unique village and well worth stopping at on your adventures. It’s home to an imposing prison which can be seen for miles around and held conscientious objectors during the First World War. This is just one of Princetown’s interesting features; it’s also the place where Arthur Conan Doyle supposedly wrote some of his famous novel, ‘The Hound of the Baskervilles’.

In the northwest of the village is the St Michael’s & All Angels church. Built by prisoners during the Napoleonic Wars, this churchyard sits in atmospheric surroundings. With a National Park Visitor Centre, public toilets, lovely cafés and two pubs, Princetown has lots to offer hikers passing through.

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